Asherons Call: Kelderam's Path

He listened to the bells as he walked down the corridor of the Lyceum. The sound pushed it's way in through the windows along with the rays of the morning sun. It came from the direction of the church. Normally the sound of the church bells signaled a holy day, a time to celebrate the Light, today however they seemed to take on a mournful cast.

The sounds of murmuring quieted as the echoes of his footsteps reached the lecture hall. He entered and stopped before the small group of robed adepts sitting on the plain wooden benches, his most advanced students, as well as one other.

"I regret I must cancel today's preparations for our next off-world expedition. An important matter has arisen that I must attend to immediately."

"Master, is it true the Ithaenc Cathedral has been pillaged and the Lady Kathendi burned at the stake?" Delacim's voice rose over the intruding noise of the bells.

"So I have been informed." He spoke wearily, struggling to maintain indifference in his voice as well as his face, looking towards the ground to avoid meeting the eyes of his inquisitive pupil.

"Good! It is fitting that those who turn from the teachings of the Light be made to feel pain." The voice of Gaerlan was deeper than his brother's, and harsher. The perpetual sneer on his face widened as he addressed the room.

"The Nali was wise to rid us of those heretics and their blasphemies before they corrupted any other innocent youths."

Asheron continued to stare at the floor, lost in the memories of sable hair and rings against his neck, when Delacim again spoke.

"What do you think of the Adjanite Order Master? Were their teachings truly heretical?"

His reverie interrupted, he looked up at Delacim and the others, glancing over their concerned features, steadfastly avoiding the eyes of Gaerlan, who was staring at him, the sneer still fixed on his face.

"I ... cannot say what the truth of the matter may be. I am not generally given over to theology, that is a province better kept to the Nali and the patriarchs of the Northern church. I know that the Lady Adja was very wise..."

"She trafficed with demons! In her own writings she plainly asserted the equality of the Earth with the Stars. Such heresies as were thought extinguished along with the foul Dericost...." Gaerlan interrupted before quieting as his brother fixed him with a silencing glare. Asheron paused before resuming.

"As I was saying, the Lady Adja was very wise, and instrumental in the defeat of He who must not be named. I ... I remember her eyes, turquoise, like the waters here. They seemed to contain the very wisdom of the universe itself. And her smile was ... I ... I must go now, continue with your studies. We shall resume our preparations on the morn."

He strode out of the classroom oblivious to his students. He could not feel the eyes fixed on the back of his blue robes as he left, else he might have turned to notice Gaerlan, still staring at him, but now the sneer was gone, replaced by a quizzical look and an understanding beginning to form in his eyes.

He could smell it even before the silver tunnel collapsed. The smells of blood and fire, overriding the usual damp fetor of the jungle outside the cathedral. The familiar smells only served to kindle the ashes of memories he wished he could dim forever. He could not sense anyone living nearby, all the looters had already departed, leaving only the insects and the animals to attend the dead, and now him.

He turned and noticed the bloodstains leading to the cellar stairs. He could feel the scavengers that had already crept below, silently listening to his movements. He had no desire to witness their banquet, instead he climbed the stairs to the upper level. Part of the upper sections had collapsed from the fires, but a small levitation spell placed him before his goal.

He let a small sigh of relief escape his lips, they had not discovered the portal. It would have surprised him if they had, surely even those who would kill innocent priestesses and defile their temple at the behest of another would balk if they witnessed their leaders practicing the very arts they proclaimed heretical. He recited the Falatacot words he had learned years before when he had last visited this place, and Kelderam's path into the Catacombs was revealed; he entered.

As he navigated the catacombs he encountered the Sclavus that made the tunnels their homes helping to serve the Priestesses as they had served other Priestesses ages before. At first they raised their hoods and began to hiss menacingly, until one stepped forward, forked tongue flicking in and out of it's gaping maw, and spoke in a sibilant tone, "Sssissster-ssson". At this the others relaxed their hoods and lowered their weapons. Asheron continued deeper into the catacombs, leaving them behind as he made his way to the secret innermost chambers of the Order.

The Shard gave off small particles of violet light as it slowly spun in the center of the small chamber. The air was still and quiet as he entered and stepped towards it, stopping some distance from it. Time passed imperceptibly as he stood in silence, probing it with his thoughts.

After an indeterminate amount of time, his concentration broke and he looked around the room and began to let the tension seep out of his body. The last undiscoverd shard must still be intact, wherever it lay. He could feel no change in the energies of the crystal before him since the last time he had probed the prison walls. For a split-second he heard a dark bubbling laughter, and black wings brushed across his thoughts. He shuddered and dismissed it as his imagination, Ilservian was still bound, for now.

"But not forever, sister-son." A familiar voice echoed off the walls of the empty chamber. Asheron turned, simulataneuously casting a light spell to illuminate the most shadowy corners of the chamber. He turned in every direction but did not see anyone.

"Adja?" He said softly.

"The stars turn, and madness has begun to descend upon the world. But the prison yet holds boy. It is yours alone now to guard, and prepare, for he will be loosed again someday."

"I feared that day had come, the Nali is powerful, he sought the shard for his own glory, if he had found it in his ignorance he could have doomed us all."

"It is not the Nali you should fear boy, foul though he is for destroying all that was built here. No, I see another of the three. This one perhaps worse in his own way than Palacost. He lives under your very nose boy, you must ..." The voice of Adja seemed to echo all around him.

Asheron began to speak, but as his mouth opened a knocking sound reverberated throughout the chamber, disrupting his thoughts.

Suddenly he awoke in his bed at the Lyceum. The knocking sound continued from behind the plain wooden door of his chambers. He paused, trying recollect the dream before speaking.

"Yes?"

"Master it is Delacim, I did not wish to disturb you but we are all assembled to depart for the banquet at the Palace. Gaerlan is impatient and bade me find you, will you join us?" Delacim's voice was tired but excited, all the students were looking forward to the day of celebration the Emperor had announced in honor of the success of their latest offworld expedition.

"Go ahead with the others Delacim, I am not properly prepared for his Majesty yet, I will follow shortly." He heard Delacim say something in acquiesence and the sound of his footsteps departing, but he could only focus on the dream.

He had gone to Ithaenc days ago, to determine whether the Shard guarded there by the Adjanite Order had been discovered by the servants of the Nali. He could not, however remember hearing the voice of Adja, his mother's best friend, long centuries dead now. He had merely inspected the shard, then hid the portal away again as he had been shown, and departed.

Now, he could hear her voice from the dream still, but he could no longer remember the words.